Ben Stokes: England Test captain calls himself ‘Bionic Man’ after tendon surgery | Cricket news
England Test captain Ben Stokes has dubbed himself “The Bionic Man” after undergoing his latest hamstring operation.
Stokes tore his left hamstring during England’s final Test in New Zealand in December and will miss at least three months of cricket, ruling him out of consideration ICC Champions Trophy in February.
The 33-year-old has sat out four consecutive Test matches, three at home in Sri Lanka and one in Pakistan, after tearing the same hamstring playing in The Hundred last August.
Stokes took to Instagram on Tuesday to confirm he had gone under the knife, posting a picture of himself sprawled out in the back seat of a car propped up with a large leg brace and pillows.
In the caption he wrote “Bionic Man for a time” accompanied by a laughing emoticon and signed “a little…”.
England are not due to return to Test action until May 22 when they begin a four-day match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
They will then play India in five Tests later in the summer, starting at Headingley on June 20 and finishing at The Kia Oval on July 31.
What role Stokes plays with the ball forward will be interesting given his latest hamstring problem coming in the middle of his 37th over against New Zealand, although he said afterwards that he has no plans to slow down.
“I’m not holding back,” he insisted then. “Every failure makes me come back stronger. There’s no doubt I’m going to walk out of here… and get back to where I was. That’s my job.”
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said in December: “There has to be a long-term view and the realization that England are the side they are because of their captain and they are greatly weakened, both with an all-rounder and a leader, if he is not there.
“If it’s not in Australia [for the 2025/26 Ashes]England’s chances are falling off a cliff. Part of leadership is talking to someone and saying, ‘we need you’.
“Inflate his tires and make him realize that England are a better team when they can do all aspects. I thought 37 overs after coming back from an injury like that is a big load.”
Watch ICC Champions Trophy live Sky Sports from February 19. England’s first game is against Australia on February 22.
